“With this ruling, they have now gone outside the legal framework,” Mr Doria said.

The constitutional court argued that the human rights of Bolivian politicians to be elected and those of voters to cast their ballots for whoever they choose superseded the term limits set in the constitution.

Perpetual power?

The ruling applies not only to the president but to all elected officials.

“All people that were limited by the law and the constitution are hereby able to run for office, because it is up to the Bolivian people to decide,” the head of the court wrote in the ruling.

The court quoted the American Convention of Human Rights as the legal framework for its decision.

But the head of the Organization of American States, which is responsible for enforcing the convention, said the way the Bolivian court had interpreted the convention was wrong.

He wrote on Twitter [in Spanish] that the article quoted by the constitutional court “does not envision the right to perpetual power”.

Many of the people who voted “no” in the 2016 referendum said that after a decade of Mr Morales in power, they wanted to see someone else lead the country.

But Mr Morales’ support remains strong among his traditional backers such as indigenous groups and some trade unions.

Image copyrightEPA

Image caption
Supporters of President Morales celebrated when they heard he could stand for re-election

Earlier this month, thousands of people took part in a demonstration in La Paz calling for him to be allowed to serve a fourth term.

They say that no other president has done as much to help the poor as Evo Morales has and they want him to be given more time to implement further social reforms.

They also argue that the only reason President Morales lost the 2016 referendum was because of an illegal defamatory campaign launched against him in the run-up to the vote.

Evo Morales in office

Image copyrightReuters

January 2006: Starts first term as president

January 2009: Bolivians approve new constitution in a referendum

December 2009: Mr Morales wins second term by a landslide in early presidential election

April 2013: Constitutional court rules Mr Morales can stand in the 2014 election despite the 2009 constitution limiting presidents to two consecutive terms. The court argues that his first term should not count because it took place before the constitution came into force

October 2014: Morales wins third term in office

February 2016: Bolivians vote in a referendum against lifting presidential term limits